


Flying Away

by Geekygirl24



Series: Tracy Family [2]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Child Abduction, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-26 12:10:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3850480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geekygirl24/pseuds/Geekygirl24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John's gone missing and now it's a race against the clock to try and save him from the worst of offenders. The Tracy family might not be able to survive a second loss...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Missing

**Author's Note:**

> ...can anyone tell i've been watching Criminal Minds lately?

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Jeff sighed wearily as Alan began to tug on his jumper as well as constantly repeating one word at the top of his lungs,

“Not now Alan…” he muttered as he frantically checked off the last point in his shopping list, “…okay, present for Mother, check...John, do you still want to head to the-Gordon, where’s John?”

“That’s what we were trying to tell you, he’s gone!” Jeff spun around, desperately searching for his son, standing on his tip toes in order to see over the crowd. Noticing that Alan and now Gordon, were glancing up at him nervously, he smiled reassuringly,

“Don’t worry boys, he’s probably with Scott or Virgil. Come on, let’s go find him huh?” The trio wandered off towards the music store, keeping a cautious eye out for John along the way

“Virgil!” called out Jeff as he spotted him by the grand piano. Virgil lept up and turned to his family,

“Dad! I swear I wasn’t going to ask for this, but I couldn’t resist and-“Jeff held up a hand, causing Virgil to pause in his tracks,

“Don’t worry about that Virgil…have you seen John?” Virgil frowned,

“He’s not with you?” Jeff shook his head,

“He was, I turned my head for one minute and then suddenly he was gone!” Virgil’s frown deepened,

“Well…maybe he’s with Scott? Come on, he said he was going to the sports store for a bit” As the family headed towards the store in question, there was no sign of John anywhere in the nearby vicinity, no announcement over the tannoy to say that a child needed picking up from the security desk.

“Dad!” Scott came running up to the small group, “Is something wrong, I thought you were going to the bookstore with John?”

“…He’s not with you then?” Scott shook his head,

“No…he hates sports, why would he be with me?” Jeff sighed,

“We don’t know where he is then…come on, let’s go to the security desk, maybe he just wandered off…he’s probably hidden in a book aisle reading silently, not even fully aware of the world” Jeff knew that at this point, he was reassuring himself more than anyone else. The security guards sent out the word but there was no reply…nobody had seen anyone matching John’s description…he was gone.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Mr Tracy…” Jeff looked up from where he had his head buried in his hands, “…It’s been a few hours since you last saw your son right?”

“A little under two…why?”

“We’ve called the police…It’s best we start early, especially in cases like this. They’re here now and we shut the entire mall down half an hour ago. Nobody’s getting out without our say so…we’ll find your son.” Jeff nodded, and glanced at the rest of his family. Scott was pacing and Virgil was trying to comfort the younger two, who were beginning to cry.

A few minutes passed, and Jeff kept his head buried in his hands throughout it all. He didn’t want to see the pity in their eyes…he couldn’t deal with it.

“Mr Tracy…” Jeff rose his head. Standing in front of him was a medium-sized man, short brown hair and grey eyes, “….my name is Detective Hanson, I’m the lead investigator on this case. We would like to speak to all of you individually if that’s okay?” Jeff nodded before narrowing his eyes,

“Please don’t tell me you suspect my family in all of this?!” Detective Hanson sighed,

“We’re just trying to rule out any possibility. At the moment, our main theory is that your son is being held for ransom. Have you had any demands yet?” Jeff shook his head,

“No…I thought that too so I’ve checked my phone constantly…my e-mails, I’ve called my housekeeper but there haven’t been any messages sent to the house, nor any to Tracy Industries…there’s been no word from anyone” The Detective nodded,

“So there’s a chance it might be personal to the perpetrator…have you noticed any unusual attention being directed at your family or even just at John himself?” Jeff scoffed,

“You’re going to have to be more specific Detective. I’m a billionaire, ex-astronaut who runs a successful business…we’re followed by the press a lot”

“No, I mean, has a specific individual been giving your son or family more attention than what was strictly required?” Jeff thought to himself, but then shook his head,

“Nobody that I can think of” Detective Hanson sighed,

“Is there any way I can speak to your wife. I know she wasn’t here when the incident started but you’ll find that women tend to notice more…” Jeff closed his eyes and sighed,

“She-she died…almost two years ago”

“I-I’m sorry. How may I ask? Is it possible the two incidents are related?” 

“No…it was a freak accident. An avalanche whilst we were on a skiing trip…” Detective Hanson nodded, 

“Right, as we are interviewing your family our behavioural analysis team will build a profile on the kidnapper. Hopefully we’ll find whoever it was and your son…hopefully within twenty four hours.”

“W-why within twenty four hours?”

“The more hours a child spends with their kidnapper, the higher the risk of them getting…killed. The first three hours are critical, but finding a child alive after a day….well it’s rare to say the least” Jeff’s face fell,

“I can’t lose him too…I just can’t” The Detective nodded,

“I know Mr Tracy…” he glanced at his phone, “…our technical analyst is going through all of your e-mails and phone records in order to see whether you’ve missed any ransom demands and to keep an eye on them in case any come through.” Detective Hanson moved to walk away, however, before he did he faced Jeff again,

“I’m sorry about your wife Mr Tracy…I must have missed it in the papers” Jeff shook his head,

“We kept it out of the papers as much as possible…the boys were too upset to deal with reporters and John-“ Jeff took a deep breath, “John was still in a coma…he was in the accident with his mom and…he didn’t wake up for weeks afterwards. I couldn’t put my family through all that stress!” Jeff’s shoulders began to shake and tears fell down his face,

“O god! I can’t lose him!” Hanson stepped back as the remaining Tracy sons rushed over to their father in order to try and comfort him as much as possible. He sighed wearily to himself…this was going to be a hard one.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Dad! Dad!” The man scrunched his eyes up as the kid kept shouting,

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” he yelled, startling the boy into silence. He took a deep breath and continued in a calmer voice,

“I’m going to place this….” He held up a tie “…in your mouth. Don’t resist please” The boy began to beg and struggle, but it was all for nothing.

“There…” the man murmured as he took a step back, “…that’s better. Now I have to be off…it seems Daddy Dearest called the police. Mustn’t look suspicious now!” He smirked at the boy before gently brushing the blonde hair away from the tearful eyes,

“Perfect…” He shook his head and strode quickly out of the room, ignoring the muffled sobs of the boy before making sure that everything was secure in and out of the room…now to get rid of those pesky police.


	2. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review :)

“When did you last see your brother?” Scott glanced at the table and then at the young sergeant who was interviewing him,

“W-we were standing outside the main super market. Dad had just finished grocery shopping and me and Virgil were bored out of our skins. Virgil asked to go to the music store and I asked to go to the sports store.”

……………….Flashback………………..

“Alright boys, but I want you both to meet us outside the bookstore in one hour okay? John wants to have a look around.” Scott nodded as Virgil rushed off. Before Scott headed off as well, he turned to John who had his head buried in a book, as if trying to block out the sounds of the bustling crowd,

“John?” John glanced at his brother, “Do you want to come with me?”

………………..End Flashback……………….

“Wait, wait, wait…” Scott paused, “…may I ask why you asked that?” Scott smiled sadly,

“John hates crowds and it was getting really busy in that particular area…I didn’t want him to feel overwhelmed” Sergeant Talbot nodded,

“I don’t want to ask this…but do you know if John’s autistic?” Scott shrugged,

“A little…not so much that it really affects him. He just isn’t very good at social situations and prefers sitting alone in a quiet room. We often joke that he’d be happier in space.” Scott chuckled for a bit, before stopping,

“He refused…” he whispered, “…said he’d be okay with Dad” Scott wiped his eyes quickly,

“I should have pushed him more…I should have taken him with me so that Dad wasn’t so overwhelmed!” Talbot frowned,

“You shouldn’t be angry at your Father for this…”

“I’m not!” Talbot raised an eyebrow unbelievably and Scott sighed,

“Okay…maybe I am a little. I know it’s not his fault, what with the dynamic duo…” Talbot assumed he was referring to Gordon and Alan, “…and the fact that John’s so quiet, it’s easy to see why it happened but-“Scott buried his head in his hands and began to sob

“But it still doesn’t make it any easier for you” finished Talbot. He waited for a few minutes, allowing Scott to compose himself before continuing,

“Did you notice anything suspicious when you were heading to the sports store?” Scott frowned, thinking back to himself before shaking his head,

“It was really crowded…apart from the shoppers, there was the security guards, the occasional person waiting for someone…o and I think a busker was nearby, I could just about hear the guitar” Talbot nodded as he noted that down,

“Alright, and no-one was watching your family or John?” Scott shook his head, 

“Nothing out of the ordinary, just the occasional curious stare…mostly at Dad, which we expect but they were only brief.” Talbot nodded again,

“Okay, thank you Scott. That’ll be all” Scott nodded and got up to leave. Before opening the door, he turned back,

“You will find him won’t you? I-I mean, I’m not sure what I would do without him….” He stared at the floor, “…He’s my rock, and I can tell him anything. I can’t be a good big brother without him!” Talbot nodded,

“We’ll try Scott…we’ll certainly try.” Talbot paused, “What was the name of the book John was reading?”

“Time of the Twins. It’s part of the Dragon-lance series…it used to belong to our Mom” Scott smiled and then left, leaving Talbot to his thoughts

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Alright thank you Rhymer” Hanson hung up and turned to Jeff, “There’s been no activity on your e-mail accounts or on your phone, I think that we can possibly rule out ransom, we would have heard something otherwise” Jeff nodded,

“So…so it’s personal then?” 

“It would seem that way…do you have any…enemies at all” Jeff shook his head,

“No, even my competitors are decent and respectful, hard as that may seem….apart from that, no.” Hanson raised an eyebrow,

“You must have one?!” Jeff laughed coldly,

“Do I look like the kind of man that would have an enemy?”

“Maybe not now Mr Tracy, but some day…” 

Silence.

“Sir?” Hanson turned to face his second-in-change, “The oldest son says that it was really crowded around the area that John was taken,”

“Easy to blend in, no wonder nobody saw anything…but why didn’t John call out for help?”

“Scott mentioned that he was reading…from what I was told, he would have been completely unaware of his surroundings”

“So the unsub spots John. A young boy around the age of ten or eleven and decides to abduct him in a crowded mall…he must have blended in well. So, he walks calmly towards John, waiting until his family has their backs turned away. Then he grabs a totally unsuspecting John, pressing his face into his own shoulder to silence John’s cries for help…he’ll just look like an upset child.”

“But was John just a random pick…or was there something personal in choosing John?”

“…I don’t know, but we have to find out and soon!”

“What have the security tapes found?” 

“Nothing, where John was standing was a blind spot for the cameras…many people headed towards that area. We couldn’t spot John in the crowd coming away from the corner….you’d be amazed at how many blonde children there are at this mall!”

“…That can’t be a coincidence, the blind spot issue.”

“You think it might be someone who knows about them?”

“Which would rule out a large majority of the crowd…they only spend so long in the mall.”

“So we’re looking for someone who spends enough time here that they would know about the blind spots in security”

“Like buskers, workers in the stores-“

“Or security guards…”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The man subtly rolled his eyes as the police marched past him. Idiots the lot of them. They couldn’t even see what was right under their noses. When the path was clear, he quickly made his way to the boy…it may only be a brief visit, but that would be fine. He only needed a short amount of time to satisfy his needs. 

Upon entering the room, the man grinned at the boy, who had stopped crying and was now glaring at him,

“I can’t be here long my sweet…” the man whispered,”…it seems as though Jeff is pulling out all the stops to find you. But he won’t….and when they give up, which they will, you and I will head off…never to be seen again.” 

The boy began to struggle ferociously as the man came closer and closer,

“Now, now…you should just accept that no-one is going to save you” He kept struggling,

“I’ll come back later….do you want me to get you anything?” The struggling continued,

“I’ll take that as a no…”


	3. Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment :)

“Did you notice anyone acting suspiciously when you headed off to the music store” Virgil shook his head,

“No, a-at least I don’t think so…” Talbot smiled sadly at the despair in the young boy’s voice,

“I’m going to need you think Virgil….Scott mentioned that there may have been a busker nearby?” Virgil’s head shot up,

“Old Luke?”

“Is that his name?”

“Y-yeah, he was around the corner from the shopping mall, up against the wall by the film store. He’s always there, I give him some money every time I go by….you don’t think he did it do you?” Talbot glanced at his notes,

“He’s just a person of interest. Did he seem unusually interested in your family?” Virgil shook his head,

“He never really interacted with anybody that much…I mean I got a friendly nod every time I went by but that was it!”

“He never showed any extra attention to John?”

“Never…” Talbot nodded, but remained unconvinced.

“What-what is John like?” Virgil appeared shocked by the question,

“What do you mean?”

“How does he react under pressure? Is he calm or is he liable to panic?” Virgil chuckled,

“John is the best under pressure. He’s already smart, but when he’s stressed, he just becomes that extra bit smarter…you should see him when it’s the school’s science fair on! He can make a first place project in less than two days if he has to!” Talbot smiled,

“You and him get on then?”

“We’re the quieter of our brothers, although John beats me by a mile. We can sit in silence, painting or reading for hours. The rest don’t really have the patience for it. I suppose we kind of bonded over that. Mind you, there are times even I can’t sit still for as long as he can. He can spend hours reading or looking at the stars.” Virgil glanced at the table, his eyes distant,

“I-I mean we tease him all the time, but it’s all in good fun…but I can’t help but worry that he doesn’t see it that way. What if he dies and I never get the chance to tell him that I didn’t mean any of it! That I’m proud that he’s so smart!” Virgil buried his head in his hands and began to sob, “Oh god, Johnny!” Talbot felt a sympathetic twang for the young boy, it can’t be easy for the small family.

“I’m sure that Johnny has never thought that you were serious. From what I’ve seen of this family, you all clearly love each other…and nothing will change that.” Virgil wiped his eyes, and Talbot smiled,

“You okay now?” Virgil nodded,

“Good…you’re free to leave Virgil” He nodded and made his way out, completely missing the thoughtful look on the sergeant’s face.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“Mr Tracy?” Jeff glanced up to see Detective Hanson holding out a phone, “There’s a young lady on the phone, English accent, calls herself Penelope?” Jeff nodded and held out his hand,

“She’s a friend of the family” Hanson nodded,

“Well everything checks out with her…I’ll let you have a few minutes with her” The phone was handed over,

“Lady Penelope?”

“Jeff, O it’s so good to hear from you! I heard everything, have they found everything yet?” 

“No…they’re still searching and interviewing everyone, but there’s nothing…” Jeff felt tears streaming down his face, “…What if they’re too late Penny?”

“Jeff, you can’t think like that! John is a smart boy, he’ll be fine…” 

“I keep telling myself that….but he’s so small! To imagine him all alone with some creep sends shivers up my spine.”

“Don’t think about it Jeff…think about how happy he’ll be when he comes back to you. When you’re all together again!” Jeff smiled at the thought,

“Thanks Penny…” Jeff glanced up and saw the Detective gesturing to his watch,

“I’ll have to call you back Penny…” After she said goodbye, he hung up and handed the phone over to the Detective, who spotted Talbot coming out from the interview room,

“Find anything useful?” Talbot nodded,

“Virgil mentioned a busker called Old Luke. He said that he seemed harmless but is it possible that-“Talbot paused as he saw Hanson shake his head,

“We checked the security footage remember? The busker didn’t move from his spot during the time that John was abducted…he didn’t do it” Talbot sighed,

“So we’re back at square one…”

“Not necessarily…” murmured Hanson, who glanced at a recent text he had received, “…Rhymer’s just finished running basic background checks on our groups. Only five have prior arrests to their names, I’ve sent the list to the remaining officers who can conduct interviews. It includes two security guards, two shop owners and one shop assistant. I need you to continue interviewing the family, maybe they saw something…”

“I only have the two youngest and the Father left now…”

“Okay, interview the Father first and then I’ll take him to the radio room. Maybe a plea from him will encourage the unsub to let John go, or at least help us find out who it is through watching their behaviour…”

“I’ll get right on that sir”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Earlier today, John Tracy, son of billionaire, ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy was abducted in this very mall that you see behind me…” the young reporter gestured behind her, “…local officials have closed the mall down and no-one is permitted to enter or leave.” The man kept a cautious eye on the television screen as he walked towards his ‘special room’, checking that no mention was made of who he might be.

“Alright sweetie…” he murmured, as he entered the room, checking to make sure that the coast was clear, “…I’ve brought you some crisps. Salt and Vinegar okay with you…what am I saying of course it is, it’s your favourite!” He took the gag out of the boy’s mouth and gave him a quick sip of water,

“H-how do you know that?” asked the boy. The man laughed,

“O sweetie, I love your little jokes!” he opened the packet and tried to hand-feed the boy, but he pursued his lips together and turned his head away,

“Now, now, we don’t have time for this nonsense dear. If you don’t eat now, you won’t get another chance before we get out of here!” Nothing. The man growled in frustration,

“Fine, you can starve then!” The crisps were thrown down and the gag reapplied before the boy could even squeak in protest. The man stormed out of the room, his anger so apparent that as he strode back into the main waiting area, people moved out of his way in shock.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” asked a colleague in concern. The man took a deep breath in order to calm himself down,

“Nothing…stressed about this and I’m going through some…relationship issues” The colleague nodded in understanding,

“Fair enough. Don’t keep wandering off all the time though, I think they’re getting a bit suspicious mate…” The man nodded,

“No worries man…” he smirked, “…everything will be back to normal soon”


	4. Getting Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment :)

“Sir, what happened after Virgil and Scott left?” Jeff thought to himself,

“I checked that John was okay…he really doesn’t like crowds”

……………….Flashback……………………

“Are you sure that you don’t want to go with them John?” John smiled at his Dad,

“I’m okay Dad, besides…you might need help with the dynamic duo there!” Jeff turned around to see Gordon and Alan attempting to sneak after their older brothers,

“Don’t even think about it you two!” Jeff placed a hand on each of their shoulders and steered them back towards John, “I have enough grey hairs without you two running off!”

Jeff smiled at the sight of John’s shoulders shaking as he laughed silently behind his book, and the four of them headed over to the craft’s store.

…………………End Flashback……………………….

“Whereabouts was John when you headed over to the craft’s store? Was he behind you or was he in front of you?”

“He was at my side. Gordon and Alan were in front of me where I could keep an eye on them.

……………..Flashback……………………

Jeff flung his arm around John’s shoulders, pulling him closer,

“Dad!” complained John good-naturedly as his book was jostled, “I’m not a kid anymore!”

“You’re still my little Starman John” chuckled Jeff as they entered the store. They spent about half an hour in it, eventually picking out a Make-Your-Own-Tea Cosy set for Grandma.

…………..End Flashback……………….

“So, you left the store…did you notice anything suspicious?” Jeff glanced at the table,

“Well…I felt odd…like I was being watched, but with my status I didn’t think anything of it!” Talbot nodded,

“Did you notice anyone staring at you? Someone who you didn’t even think twice about maybe?” Jeff frowned, but before he could answer Detective Hanson entered,

“Sorry Talbot, but the commissioner wants Mr Tracy to make his plea sooner rather than later…”

“Yes Sir”

“Interview Gordon and Alan whilst we’re in the radio room”

“Of course sir”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“My name is Jeff Tracy. Today my son, John Glenn Tracy was taken…” Jeff took a deep breath, “…to whoever it was who took him…please! All I want is to see my little boy again.” Jeff smiled sadly to himself,

“He’s so quiet you know…always sitting on our big armchair and reading, and god does he read! Fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi to fantasy, everything! He wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, and with his brain, he can do it…to be honest, he’ll be happy in space, no crowds or loud noises to bother him.” Jeff couldn’t hold back a sob at the memory of John pointing out the different constellations in the skies to his brothers, pure joy on his face.

“H-his brothers really miss him you know. John’s their sounding board, their confidant! They need him!” Another sob,

“Please….” He whispered, “….if you let him go, nothing will happen. We’ll forget this ever happened, just please! Give me back my son!” Detective Hanson nodded and the microphone was switched off,

“Very good Mr Tracy…” Hanson sighed at the look on Jeff’s face, “…That was good, it’s highly likely that the perpetrator will let your son go free or our officers will spot a suspicious individual who reacted to your plea.” Jeff shook his head,

“What if that doesn’t happen….what if he just k-kills John?!” Hanson couldn’t find an answer for that, he didn’t want to admit that the thought of John already being dead had crossed his mind…several times in fact.

“We can’t think like that Mr Tracy. No matter what, you’ve got to keep a brave face…”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The man scowled after the plea, glancing up at the speakers. Idiot. Why on earth would he give the boy back, he belonged to him now…not Mr Perfect Tracy. He kept a cautious eye on the surrounding policeman, turning away when they glanced at him…soon, soon it will all be over.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“What happened when you and your Dad came out of the craft’s store?” Gordon and Alan glanced at each other before answering,

“Alan and I were playing cops and robbers…Alan almost knocked over the grumpy man!”

“Gordon, you promised you wouldn’t tell!” Talbot inwardly sighed. Interviewing small children always proved to be quite difficult. The language had to be thought out in advance or the children wouldn’t understand or they would only give very basic details…like Gordon and Alan had just done.

“No, no. I mean where was John, what was he-.” He stopped, “Wait, grumpy man?” Gordon nodded,

“Ummmhmmmm! Some security guard, he’s always scowling at us so I like to tease him!” he chuckled,

“Would you two be able to describe this man to one of our officers?” The pair nodded and Talbot directed them over to the sketch artist. He eagerly left the room, only to bump into Detective Hanson who was hanging up his mobile,

“Rhymer’s just finished the background checks. Nothing, they’re all pretty much clean except for a few DUI’s. I’ve got the names, so I’m going to run them by Mr Tracy, see if he recognises them…” Talbot nodded,

“Gordon and Alan mentioned a security guard who was watching the four of them and I know that a couple of security guards were on the list. They’re with the sketch artist no, but I’m honestly not expecting a lot.” 

“So we’ll focus on the security guards. They fit the profile, they would know about the blind spots in the security, no-one would think twice about a security guard keeping an eye on people and a security guard carrying a child wouldn’t look suspicious, they might be lost and upset!”

“True…but that would also mean that if the person is a security guard, they would know this building like the back of their hand…John could be anywhere!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The man smiled to himself as he successfully worked his way past the police. He opened the door only to yell in pain as his nose broke under the impact of a metal rod. Before another hit could be landed, the man grabbed a hold of the rod and threw it away. Blinking through the pain, he growled at the boy, who had gotten free of his handcuffs.

“You…Little…SHIT!” yelled the man as he grabbed the front of the boy’s shirt, and shoved his hands into the jean pockets, pulling out a few pieces of metal,

“A lock-picking kit…quite the little criminal I’be got on my hands then!” The boy continued to struggle,

“Let go of me! HELP, HEL-AAAH!” The boy yelped as the man backhanded him, throwing him further into the room at the same time. Whilst the boy was still stunned, the man re-tied his wrists (but with rope instead) and re-applied the gag.

“You’ll be punished for that…later though. I can’t habe the police suspecting me!” The man exclaimed nasally as he backed out of the room. As he entered the bathrooms, he bumped into a colleague,

“What the hell happened to you man?!” The man scowled,

“I walked into a door…that was opening at the time” The colleague hissed in sympathy,

“Yikes, I’ll get a paramedic….”

“Yeah…thanks” As the colleague left, the man punched the wall in anger. That little shit was going to get it…no matter what.


	5. Caught

“Mr Tracy?” Jeff looked up from where he was comforting his two oldest, “I was wondering if I would be able to run a couple of names by you, see if you recognize them?” Jeff nodded in agreement as he gently encouraged Scott and Virgil to go and wait for Gordon and Alan to finish with the sketch artist,

“O-of course…fire away” Hanson nodded,

“Bishop Schindler?” Jeff shook his head,

“No, I reckon I’d remember a name like that”

“Ammar Khan?” Negative,

“Randal Maynard?” Jeff’s head shot up,

“Did you say Maynard?” Hanson nodded,

“Why? Do you know him?” Jeff closed his eyes and thought back,

“H-he was a friend of Lucy’s. Showed up to our wedding drunk as hell and started yelling about how she should have chosen him. He would do it from time to time…not enough to be a nuisance mind you, usually only on special events. When each of the boys were born, he showed up and at….” Jeff took a deep breath, “….at Lucy’s f-funeral” Jeff sighed,

“H-he almost knocked John over, he was still in crutches then….” Hanson narrowed in eyes,

“Did Maynard speak to John?”

“Only briefly…”

“Sometimes that’s all it takes….I’m assuming John looks like his mother?” Jeff nodded, tears forming in his eyes. Hanson sighed and looked up the corridor,

“Talbot, do you have the sketch?” Talbot, who was just coming down the corridor, nodded and handed Hanson the paper. He glanced at the sheet and then held it up in front of Jeff,

“Does this man look similar to you?” Jeff nodded,

“That’s Maynard…” Hanson’s phone then began to ring,

“Hanson.” He listened for a few minutes, making all of the appropriate noises before hanging up.

“Apparently Maynard got this job a little over a year ago. No problems except there has been some concerns over his drinking problem…he was on shift around the time John was abducted, and according to recent security footage, he’s still in the building.

“Right, send a couple of officers to bring him here. Don’t arrest him officially, just let him know that we want to speak to him regarding the case” Talbot nodded and walked away to speak into his radio.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The man winced as the final plaster was placed on his nose in order to keep it straight,

“All done now sir” The man nodded, but as he was about to leave he spotted his colleague leading a couple of officers his way,

“Randal! These men want to see you!” Randal scowled,

“Why?” 

“Something about the missing kid…” That was it for Randal. Ignoring the cries of the police and his friend, he attempted to push past them, only for his hands to be cuffed behind his back,

“Why did you run Mr Maynard?” Randal struggled violently, as they dragged him to where Detective Hanson was waiting,

“What’s going on here?!” yelled Hanson as he caught sight of the group,

“Sir, he attempted to run…” Randal continued to struggle, growing more and more violently as he caught sight of Jeff Tracy,

“How did you get that nasty injury Mr Maynard?” asked Hanson as he tried to ignore the sheer hate in the man’s eyes when he stared at Jeff. Randal smirked, trying not to wince as the muscles on his face aggravated the broken nose,

“Walked into a wall, I wasn’t paying attention…” Hanson was about to nod, but suddenly he was interrupted,

“Y-you said you walked in a door…” stuttered the colleague, his face paling as Randal glared at him.

“So which was it Mr Maynard. A door or a wall?” Randal sneered, and jerked his head towards Jeff, raising his voice so that he could be heard,

“His little bastard decided it would be a good idea to try and get free, but don’t worry…” Randal chuckled, “…he won’t be trying that again in a hurry” Hanson froze….shit

………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................................................

Jeff saw red. He lept up from his seat, lunging at the still smirking man. However, he found himself held back,

“DAD NO!”

“DAD, HE’S THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS WHERE JOHN IS!”

“LET ME GO!” yelled Jeff as he struggled against the grip of his two eldest. Randal just laughed,

“She should have been mine Jeff! Lucy and I were perfect for each other, but you took her from me! I lost her…now you’ve lost him!” Hanson scowled and ordered the officers to take him to a separate room, far away from Jeff.

“Sir…Sir! You need to calm down!” Jeff puled against the arms once more, but then slumped to the ground,

“Please….please tell me that he’s not d-dead” Hanson sighed,

“…We don’t know sir. Our technical analyst has identified a certain part of the mall where Maynard kept wandering back to during these last few hours. The only problem is that this area is where all of the store rooms are…and due to Maynard’s intimate knowledge of the area, there are several places John could be. Our teams will start searching immediately, we can’t wait for Maynard to give up the location…we don’t know what state John might be in…” Jeff held back a sob at the implication of that statement,

“Please…please find him” Hanson nodded,

“We will…”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Talbot pushed back another pile of boxes,

“Nothing…again”

“Keep looking, he must be somewhere!” Talbot glanced at his Detective, it had been several hours since Maynard arrest and he had clammed up, requesting a lawyer despite his earlier confession. They had searched well over a dozen rooms, but there was no sign of John.

Hanson angrily kicked a loose box out of the way,

“Will someone talk to that lawyer and convince him to encourage his client to make a deal! John’s location for a lower-“Talbot span round to face Hanson when he paused,

“Sir, what-“He to paused when he noticed that Hanson was staring at something on the floor. Following his gaze, Talbot gasped. On the floor was a tattered book…Time of the Twins.

“T-that was the book that Scott said John was reading at the time of his abduction…” muttered Talbot as he quickly radioed for a couple of paramedics…after all, they didn’t know how John was. Hanson glanced around the small area before focusing on a wall that had almost been blocked completely from view. A small part of the wall that was in view, seemed to glint as light was reflected off of it.

“Talbot…are you able to move those boxes?” Talbot prepared himself for some heavy lifting but soon found that the boxes could simply be pushed to one side to reveal a hidden door.

“This was hidden purposely…anyone else would have put full boxes in front of it if they knew it wouldn’t be used. By placing empty boxes here, it gives them easier access…” The pair glanced at each before Hanson tried the door…locked.

“We’ll have to kick it down sir. We may not have time to call for a locksmith” Hanson agreed, and they both put all of their strength into kicking the door off its hinges. Shining their torches around the room, the light landed on a huddled figure in the corner,


	6. Reunited

“John Tracy?” The figure’s head shot up to reveal a young, blonde-haired boy with blue eyes that were still wet with tears. A red mark still forming on his cheek. The boy’s eyes lit up at the sight of the two policemen and as Hanson raced over to untie him, Talbot met with the paramedics 

“Hey John, my name is Detective Hanson. Let’s get you out of these ropes…” Once the gag was removed, John frantically began to speak,

“My brothers! What about my brothers or my Dad?!” 

“They’re fine John. He just took you…you’re family’s very worried you know” John nodded,

“I think that’s my Dad’s default setting recently….” Hanson chuckled as the paramedics came over. They quickly checked the boy, deducing that the only issues John had included minor dehydration, scrapped wrists for the rope (which were cleaned and bandaged) and a forming bruise on his cheek where he was hit. Nothing too serious.

Once everything was checked over, Hanson helped John to his feet and they began to walk back towards the main waiting area, only pausing to pick up the metal pipe John had used to break his captor’s nose. The blood that was still on the pipe could be used as DNA evidence against Maynard.

“I know five people who are going to be very pleased to see you…” exclaimed Hanson as the small group walked towards the area where the Tracy family were waiting. He handed John his book, pausing as John laughed,

“You found it!”

“Found it?”

“Yeah! When I realized that we weren’t leaving the building and going to a separate room, I threw it near the entrance of the room so that if anyone was searching, they would know I was nearby….” John examined the book, his eyes narrowed in concentration, “….thank god it’s not damaged. I don’t think you can get this in paperback anymore...” Hanson stopped in his tracks. A young boy, who hadn’t even hit puberty yet, had provided the key to his own rescue and was then more concerned about his book. John turned to glance at the Detective,

“You coming?” he asked, a huge grin on his face. Hanson shook his head in silent disbelief and chuckled as he quickly caught up to the once-missing boy.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Dad, you’re making me dizzy…Dad!” Jeff paused briefly at the sound of Scott’s plea, only to continue,

“What’s happening, why hasn’t anyone demanded that son of a-“

“DAD!”

“Sorry, sorry…but I’m going crazy here. It’s been hours!” The brothers glanced at each other, Scott placing a reassuring hand on Alan’s shoulder as he and Virgil exchanged a glance over their younger brother’s heads. Jeff caught this glance and sighed…he needed to be there for his family.

“I’m sorry boys, I’m just…frustrated, that’s all” he exclaimed as he sat beside them. Scott nodded in understanding, however, before he could speak, a flash of blonde hair caught his attention.

“John?” Jeff’s head whipped around as he shot up from his seat, his eyes desperately seeking out his space-loving son. He spotted Detective Hanson relatively quickly, who was grinning as he caught Jeff’s eye. Then Jeff lowered his gaze,

“JOHN!” he yelled as he shot forward, 

“Dad!” he heard as he reached John, lifting him up into the air before holding him tight to his chest, tears streaming down both of their faces as Jeff rocked backwards and forwards,

“Oh my boy, my little boy! I was so worried!” he sobbed as the rest of their family ran up, practically tackling the pair as they joined in on the hug.

“John, you’re alright!” Scott was grinning uncontrollably, but that grin soon fell as John lifted his head from his Father’s chest to reveal a red mark on his cheek that would quite clearly develop into one hell of a bruise.

“I’ll kill him…” muttered Jeff as he gently examined his son’s face, turning it from side to side,”…I’ll actually kill him…” Judging by the look on Scott and Virgil faces, their Dad would have to get in line. 

“But murder’s illegal Dad…” Jeff smiled at John, he had a habit of taking things a little too literally. He was better at sensing jokes now that he was older, but not by much.

“I know Johnny…Detective Hanson wouldn’t let me anyway” John nodded,

“To be fair, I hit him first Dad…” Jeff shook his head,

“No Johnny. Firstly, he was a very bad man, you had every right to hit him to try and get free. Secondly, the retaliation rule only applies to situations like…if Alan hits you because he’s angry”

“…But when Alan hits me, he’s being bad!”

“….I’ll explain it later.” Scott and Virgil grinned at each other as Gordon and Alan bounced up and down, babbling at John…who was beginning to look a little overwhelmed. 

“Mr Tracy?” Jeff and the rest of the boys turned to face the detective, who smiled at the happy looks upon their faces, “I was wondering whether John would be able to give us a statement….it can be done tomorrow if need be?” Jeff glanced at John, whose eyelids were slowly beginning to droop as he yawned, resting his head on his Dad’s shoulder,

“I think tomorrow would be better. It’s been a long day…a very long day” Hanson nodded in understanding. As Maynard was dragged screaming and ranting into a police car, Talbot and Hanson watched as a rather large-nosed man wearing a chauffeurs outfit met the family outside the mall, raising his hat in greeting as he gently patted a, now sleeping, John on the back. They disappeared around the corner, and a few minutes later, a pink stretched limo drove out of the parking lot.

“Do you think he’ll be alright sir?” Hanson smiled and nodded,

“The thing with close knit families…is they have the best recovery rates. He’ll be fine.”

…………………Epilogue…………………………..

Commissioner Hanson grunted as he stretched his arm above his head. Old age was beginning to catch up with him. As he limped over to the coffee machine (old gunshot wound), there was a gentle knock on the door,

“Enter!” A young, blonde man entered the room, but before he could say anything, Hanson held up his hand,

“No, don’t tell me…I know you from somewhere….” The man smiled as Hanson stared intently at him, looking him up and down before focusing on his eyes. Hanson snapped his fingers in realisation,

“Tracy! John Tracy! Kidnapped in a mall around fifteen years ago right?” The man nodded,

“Your memory is very good Detective. Yes, I’m John, it’s nice to see you again” They shook hands and Hanson ushered John to a chair,

“So, not to be impolite, but why are you here? It has been quite a few years after all.”

“I’m…leaving. Possibly for months at a time…I guess I just wanted to thank you. If it hadn’t have been for you, I might not have ever been found. I wouldn’t have got into NASA and I certainly wouldn’t be alive to do what I love. Going into space.” Hanson nodded,

“It wasn’t just me kiddo”

“Yes, I’ve been meaning to speak with Talbot. Where is he?” Hanson glanced at the table in sadness,

“He…was shot in the line of duty five years ago”

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know….”

“It’s okay. You know your brothers said that you’d like it in space, even when you were young” John laughed,

“Yeah. It sounded quiet…I really hated crowds, still not entirely fond of them if I’m honest…”

“I’m not surprised after…the incident. How’s your Father, Is he okay with you going into space?”

“He’s fine and he practically encouraged it…he doesn’t want me up there all the time mind you, he just wants me to be happy and safe. With the new…business that he’s starting, he’s getting a bit stressed, but nothing that really needs worrying about. According to my brothers anyway.”

“What do your brothers do?”

“Scott’s…a pilot. Virgil dabbles in mechanics and medicine. Gordon’s an aquanaut and Alan ‘s an astronaut as well, but he also takes part in Formula One races as well.”

“You all stay in contact?”

“We live in….the same area. It’s easy to meet up every so often.” Hanson felt as though John were hiding something, but decided not to press further. The pair chatted for around an hour more, before John received a text,

“Oh, it’s Alan. Apparently he’s waiting outside, bored out of his mind” Hanson stifled a chuckle at the grimace on John’s face,

“Fast driver?”

“Unnecessarily so” John rose from his seat, stretching slightly.

“It was nice to see you again Detective Hanson,”

“You too John. Tell your Dad I said hello.” John nodded,

“I will…” And with that, he left. Hanson stared at the door for a few moments more before smiling and shaking his head,

“Well if I didn’t feel old earlier, I certainly do now....”

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Well, that's it folks! hope


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